Regents OK $1,200 tuition hike for UW-Eau Claire

MADISON, Wis. 
University of Wisconsin System regents on Friday approved a four-year, $1,200 tuition increase for UW-Eau Claire despite a lack of details on how the money will be spent and passionate opposition from students.

Meeting in Madison, the regents voted 14-2 to approve the plan known as the Blugold Commitment, which will raise tuition by $300 for each of the next four school years on top of any statewide increases. The regents ordered UW-Eau Claire to return with a specific plan for spending the money for approval at its May meeting.

The university says the increase will pay for hiring more 50 more faculty and staff to teach in-demand courses and provide students more "high-impact educational" experiences such as research, study abroad and internship opportunities. The university will use up to 40 percent of the revenue, eventually $13 million per year, for financial aid.

The school's tuition and fees this school year cost $6,449. If the state's recent trend of 5.5 percent annual increases continues, that figure could rise to nearly $9,200 when the $1,200 surcharge is fully implemented in the 2013-2014 school year.

Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich acknowledged the plan's lack of specificity Thursday, but said he was waiting for approval before getting too far into details, such as which departments and programs would hire more employees.

The plan has driven a rift in the student body. Nearly 70 percent of students who completed an online survey rejected a proposed $1,500 hike last semester, and a group of student critics asked the regents Thursday not to impose the increases on the campus during a recession.

Supporters acknowledged the opposition, but chose instead to focus on the student senate's 17-15 vote approving the revised $1,200 proposal.

On a voice vote, regents rejected a motion by Regent Tom Loftus of Sun Prairie to delay approval of the increase until the board reviewed the spending plan in May. Loftus said he wanted the size of the increase reduced, more support from students and a stronger commitment by the school's foundation to raise need-based financial aid to offset the impact.

Levin-Stankevich said the delay would create uncertainty for students about how much tuition would cost next year and potentially push back implementation until 2011. A majority of regents agreed, saying it was time to make a tough decision after a painful process that has already dragged on for months.

Regent Aaron Wingad, a UW-Eau Claire student, said he voted to raise his own tuition because the student body's elected leaders backed the plan. Still, he acknowledged: "We do not know exactly how this considerable tuition increase will be spent."

Loftus and Regent Kevin Opgenorth, a UW-Platteville student, voted against the plan.

UW-Eau Claire is the third University of Wisconsin campus since 2007, following UW-La Crosse and UW-Madison, to win approval for a major tuition surcharge to maintain and enhance quality.

At UW-La Crosse, a $1,000 tuition surcharge for new students has been phased in over the last two years to hire more professors and reduce class sizes. The regents on Friday approved a plan to tack on roughly $60 more per year for other UW-La Crosse academic initiatives.